Saudi Arabia: Internet services in parts of the Middle East and South Asia were disrupted, following multiple undersea cable cuts in the Red Sea, according to a statement from Microsoft.
The tech giant, which has faced criticism over its ties to Israel during the war on Gaza, confirmed that its Azure cloud computing platform, the world’s second largest after Amazon Web Services was affected by the incident. Microsoft noted that disruptions began at 05:45 GMT on September 6.
Microsoft stated that, “Network traffic traversing through the Middle East may experience increased latency due to undersea fiber cuts in the Red Sea.” It added that traffic not passing through the region remained unaffected and pledged to provide daily updates.
Connectivity watchdog NetBlocks reported ‘degraded’ internet performance across Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and India, with users experiencing slow speeds and intermittent access. The watchdog attributed the issues to failures in the SMW4 and IMEWE cable systems near Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Pakistan Telecommunications, one of the country’s largest operators, warned customers of potential service degradation during peak hours, noting that its international partners were working to restore full capacity.
Undersea cables form the backbone of global internet traffic, with the Middle East serving as a critical link between Asia and Europe. These cables are prone to accidental damage, often from ship anchors, but can also be targeted deliberately.
In early 2024, Yemen’s internationally recognised government-in-exile accused Houthi forces of planning attacks on Red Sea cables. Several cuts were reported at the time, though the Houthis denied responsibility. Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV acknowledged the latest disruptions, citing NetBlocks.
Meanwhile, Microsoft continues to face scrutiny over its business ties to Israel. A joint investigation revealed that Azure cloud infrastructure has stored data, including intercepted Palestinian communications, for Israeli military intelligence. Microsoft has denied direct knowledge of such use but launched an internal review in August. The company recently dismissed four employees who staged protests at its offices against the firm’s contracts with Israel.
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